


My Dinner with Zuko

by Honorable_mention



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ba Sing Se, Canon Compliant, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), Episode: s02e15 Tales of Ba Sing Se, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Post-Canon, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:46:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25568458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honorable_mention/pseuds/Honorable_mention
Summary: Jin was fairly certain she’d gone on a date with the new Fire Lord. There were only so many guys with massive scars covering half their faces in the exact same way.
Relationships: Jin & Zuko (Avatar), past Jin/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 297





	My Dinner with Zuko

Jin was fairly certain she’d gone on a date with the new Fire Lord. There were only so many guys with massive scars covering half their faces in the exact same way.

Recently posters had started appearing around Ba Sing Se proclaiming that no one needed to fear the Fire Nation anymore. Everyone was friends again, they promised, and please would no one try to assassinate the Fire Lord when he came to the city for an official visit?

Jin walked past one of the posters as she rounded the corner to her house. The street was damp from an afternoon rain and her shoulders were still damp. She couldn’t wait to get home and dry off.

When she got there the door was propped open, the wind gently rattling it open and closed. Gingerly she peaked inside to see her friend Miyuki sitting at her kitchen table.

“Miyuki, you need to stop doing that. It’s terrifying,” she said, dropping her bag next to the door before closing it behind her. 

“You know you think it’s endearing.” Miyuki stopped picking at the wood grain of the table, leaned on her hands, and looked at Jin. 

“Debatable. Do you want me to make a pot of tea?” Miyuki nodded so she gently kindled a flame and set a pot of water over it. It slowly inched towards a boil.

The two of them chatted for a few minutes as the tea brewed. Eventually Jin brought two worn cups to the table and poured them each tea. She sipped hers as she watched her friend drink cup after cup.

“You know, Miyuki, I think I went on a date with the Fire Lord once.”

“The new one I hope, not that creepy old guy.”

“Obviously, Miyuki.” Jin shuddered. “I didn’t need to think about that.“ She tried to throw the thought out of her mind to no avail. Gross. “But seriously, I think I went on a date with him.”

“Come on. I’m already your friend, you don’t need to try and impress me by saying you know a celebrity,” Miyuki said, throwing her hair behind her back and taking a sip of tea. She set the chipped cup back on the table and leaned back in her seat, propping her ankles on the table. Jin wanted to tell her to stop, but she knew it only encouraged Miyuki. She’d only started doing it after someone traitorously told her that Jin hated it.

“But I did know him! Remember that guy Li? The one who gave me a coupon?”

Miyuki scoffed. “As if I could forget. You complained about that for weeks. Months. Too long.” She poured herself another cup and held the teapot up for Jin, who shooed it away.

“Well it was rude. I stand by that. But it’s gotta be him, the new Fire Lord.”

“It would explain why he and his uncle disappeared,” Miyuki said. “I’m still waiting for them to get back by the way. Their tea was so much better than yours. No offense, of course.”

“No offense taken. Their tea was the best in the city, no contest,” she said. “Still, generally rude to insult the host.”

“What? I’m a connoisseur of tea.” Miyuki took another sip, holding the cup up to make a point. “But what proof do you even have that they’re the same person?”

“You know all the posters that’ve been around town? The ones that are all ‘the Fire Nation isn’t so bad, they don’t want to kill us anymore, look at the cool new Fire Lord’.”

“Yeah, how could I miss them? They’re everywhere.”

“Well it’s the same guy! His hair’s a little longer, but the resemblance is striking.”

“So what? I mean, cool you got to meet the Fire Lord and everything, but why does it matter?”

“I don’t know. It’s just interesting I guess. And him being a firebender does explain a lot of weird stuff about our date.”

Miyuki sighed. “Please don’t do this again.”

“If you’re going to make me listen to your ten minute rants about your little brother, I’m going to make you listen to my stories about my absolutely awful date.”

“But it was a year ago! Just go on another crappy date so you have new material.” Miyuki went to pour herself another cup. When nothing came out she examined the lid before opening it, frowning when she found no tea left inside.

“I’m not making you more.” Jin took a sip of her rapidly cooling tea. “And this guy told me he was a juggler and then couldn’t juggle. Plus he was clearly a firebender.”

“Yes, yes, some lamps lit. Big whoop. Very exciting.” She shook the empty pot and looked at Jin hopefully. 

“Tell me it’s cool that I went on a date with the Fire Lord and I’ll make you more tea.”

“Do I have to?”

“I control the tea, you control your decisions.”

“Fine.” Miyuki threw her hands up in the air. “It’s cool that you went on a date with the Fire Lord. Now can I please have more tea?”

  
  


Jin and Miyuki had managed to get to the front of the crowd through a mix of Jin’s winning smile and Miyuki’s sharp elbows and dark stares. But now here they were, right at the front of the crowd to see the new Fire Lord.

They passed the time waiting for him making snarky comments about the other people around them. The noblemen decked out in ridiculous attire, the confused tourists who were only following the herd. 

Eventually a golden palanquin showed up at the end of the walkway. It was a bit tacky, a bit gaudy, but that seemed about right for the Fire Nation.

A hush fell over the crowd as the Fire Lord stepped out. 

Or, rather, he fell out.

He dusted himself off and pretended nothing happened while a teenage boy with a ponytail and shaved sides of his head pointed and laughed at the Imperial teenager himself. The boy with the ponytail leaped out behind him and together they began to walk towards the Earth King’s palace. 

As they walked the boy with the ponytail would occasionally finger gun someone or high five a kid in the crowd. 

Jin couldn’t quite make it out, but she was fairly sure she heard the Fire Lord telling the other boy to stop because they were on official business. Whatever he’d said the other boy laughed and playfully knocked him with his shoulder. He said something in return that vaguely sounded like he was telling the Fire Lord to have some fun sometimes.

Soon it was her chance. As the Fire Lord and the boy walked past she called out to them.

“Zuko! Zuko! Over here,” she said. He didn’t seem to notice her. “Li!” That got his attention. As soon as they made eye contact he turned bright red.

“Jin?” He asked, walking towards her. “I’m so sorry about that date.”

“It’s fine. I had fun.” Miyuki snorted next to her and she elbowed her in the side, causing her to make a disgruntled noise.

“Yeah, me too. I’m glad my uncle made me do it.”

“Was that the only reason you went on a date with me?”

“Yes?” The boy next to the Fire Lord had a hand over his mouth, stifling a laugh. 

“Zuko, that’s the worst thing you could have said,” the boy told the Fire Lord.

“Oh, sorry,” the Fire Lord said to Jin.

“It’s fine, I know you didn’t mean to be rude.”

The boy with the ponytail nudged the Fire Lord in the side and pointed towards the palace with his head. He looked apologetic.

“I guess I got to go,” the Fire Lord said to her. “I’ll see you around. My uncle’s opening his tea shop up again soon, you should come by.” 

With that he walked away with a little half wave.

Miyushi looked at Jin. “I can’t believe you actually went on a date with the Fire Lord.”

“You didn’t believe me?”

“Absolutely not. But just so we’re clear, I’m definitely going to use this to try and get free tea from the Jasmine Dragon.”

Jin laughed. “Sounds about right to me.”

**Author's Note:**

> I always name my drafts after movies and then I usually change them, but this one made me laugh, so I kept it.
> 
> Anyway, hope y’all like this fic!! :))


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